Self Care Boxes
During the hardest of times, you still need to care for yourself...
Our Aaliyah in Action Self-Care Packages are available to order and are provided to hospitals for distribution to families who have experienced a perinatal or neonatal loss. Our package items have been thoughtfully curated by asking different groups of people in this space what items helped them the most, or what they thought could have helped more, during those initial days and months of grief.
Each package has a pair of fuzzy socks, lip balm, face mask, tea, lavender shower steamers and a candle. Supporting small businesses and giving back to Aaliyah's community was an important process in the curation of these packages. Lip balms & candles are from Smell of Love Candles and the healing tea, for our DC area hospitals, is from The Dope Doula, both local DC businesses. The lavender shower steamers are now sourced from Joyful Bath Co., a women owned business in Bethesda, Maryland. Lastly, we source our Seeds of Hope from Earth Mama Organics, as well as the tea in all of our individually requested packages and hospital partners outside the DC area.
Also included in each package is our Self Care Choice Board - designed to help get you moving and using the package, especially in those first days of grieving. Elizabeth created this tool keeping in mind the different small things she tried to do to feel a sense of accomplishment each day during a time when it feels so hard to do anything at all.
In addition to the items above, each Aaliyah in Action Self-Care Package comes with a book, or books, most appropriate for the family's grief. We're so honored to have the options of Alishia Anderson's book, Still Here: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph After Stillbirth, Emily Long's book, You Are Not Alone: Love Letters from Loss Mom to Loss Mom - both of these books are best suited for those who have experienced a stillbirth or infant loss. We also have When the Heartbeat Stops: Organic Accounts of Women Breaking the Silence Around Miscarriage, written by Washington DC teacher, JaRonda Dockett - which is good fit for those who experience miscarriage.
Other available support books, depending on the family need are: He Lost his Baby Too: Survival Guide for the Grieving Dad written by father, Kelly Farley, I'm Still a Big Sister, written by Brittany Day and her daughter Eliza (inclusive for all siblings, not just sister), and Mi bebé nació al cielo: Una nueva visión para ser feliz con tu bebé celestial written by Patricia Mora Gonzalez.
If you know someone who would benefit from an Aaliyah in Action Self-Care Package you may request one to be shipped (see below) or, if local in the D.C. area, dropped off.
Aaliyah in Action relies on the generosity of its donors to provide our packages for those in need. The cost of one package is $60. We ask that if you request a package for a loved one you consider making a donation to our mission. You can make a donation via PayPal, or through Venmo (@aaliyahinaction).
Please use the Get in Touch button below to a request a package.
